Carter is excited to announce the addition of two new Vice Presidents to its leadership team: Lela Diaz, Vice President, Partner Development, and Teri Howe, Vice President, Partner Experience. These new positions reflect Carter’s commitment to an unparalleled experience for its consultants and partners alike during a time of exciting growth for the company.
As Vice President, Partner Development, Lela will work closely with the leadership team to provide greater support to Carter’s partner development and stewardship efforts. Her work will include leading strategies to advance Carter’s reach to support more nonprofit missions around the globe and advising Carter’s consultants in developing custom approaches to new partnerships and engagements.
Lela has more than 20 years of experience providing strategic vision and focus to nonprofits worldwide. She brings extensive experience in campaign planning, strategy, and management for capital, endowment, or programmatic campaigns with goals ranging from $10 million to over $500 million, and she also has expertise in Board development.
This marks a return to Carter for Lela, who served on Carter’s leadership team from 2012 to 2016. Lela has also served in senior leadership positions at regional, national and global nonprofits and has provided consulting services to nonprofits for over 15 years.
“I am thrilled to be back at Carter, working again with longtime colleagues as well as the many talented professionals who have joined the team over the past 10 years of strategic growth,” said Lela. “Carter’s unique collaborative culture has only grown stronger, and it’s a big part of what drew me back. I look forward to sharing my experience with the team and learning from them to support our partner development efforts.”
Teri, the new Vice President, Partner Experience, will work alongside Carter partners and consultants to ensure success across all engagements. She will also support the development of hand-picked teams to best serve Carter partners, strengthen the company’s service offerings, and bolster internal systems and processes.
Teri brings over three decades of nonprofit development and communications experience and is a recognized leader in all aspects of fundraising, with significant experience in major gifts, capital campaigns and annual giving programs. She is highly regarded for her extensive working knowledge of nonprofit philanthropy and best practices in development strategy and implementation.
Teri has been a Managing Director for Carter since 2021. Prior to joining the Carter team, she served in fundraising and senior leadership roles for 31 years across independent schools, human service, and conservation-based nonprofit organizations.
“It is an honor to continue working with my Carter teammates in this new capacity as Vice President, Partner Experience,” said Teri. “I’m energized by the opportunity to bring my experience from sitting on both sides of the table – as a Carter consultant and nonprofit professional – to this role to provide greater support to our exceptional team and to continue to elevate and innovate Carter’s services.”
Thoughts from Steve Higgins and Bob Carter
“We could not be more excited to have Teri and Lela join our leadership team,” said Steve Higgins, President & CEO of Carter. “Their deep nonprofit and consulting experience, positivity and professionalism, and commitment to excellence add invaluable support at a critical juncture of exponential growth for Carter.”
“Welcoming Lela back is a special moment for Carter. I was honored to partner with her on projects worldwide in our early days,” said Bob Carter, Chairman of Carter. “And Teri has also shaped our work as a trusted and dedicated consultant and colleague. Bringing Lela’s and Teri’s strategic thinking onto our leadership team is a major win for Carter and for the partners we serve.”